VGCC Students See Latest in Welding Technology

Vance-Granville Community College Welding Technology students got a look at state-of-the-art welding equipment recently, when Kevin Shaffer of Charlotte, a technical sales representative from Lincoln Electric, and David Tillotson of Raleigh, a sales representative from Machine & Welding Supply Company, stopped by the college’s main campus to demonstrate Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) processes.The VGCC Welding program works closely with business and industry to make its students competitive once they graduate. “This was an example of how we stay abreast of what’s going on out there in the industry,” VGCC Welding Technology program head Rusty Pace of Franklinton said. “Our students got to examine a wide variety of different types of the best welding machinery, which makes them even more prepared for the workforce.” The visit came just a few days before students were set to take their practical exams for national certification through the American Welding Society. VGCC has produced 545 certified welders since the college started its program in 1972.Pace recently became the head of VGCC’s Welding Technology program, and he is also a graduate of the program himself. For more information on the program, call Pace at (252) 738-3375. The college’s fall semester begins Aug. 16.For more than a hundred years, Lincoln Electric (http://www.lincolnelectric.com/) has been an international leader in the welding industry, and is an exclusive NASCAR partner. Machine & Welding Supply Company (http://www.mwsc.com/) has served North Carolina’s gas and gear needs for the past half-century.